Table tennis: Wang Manyu regains World No. 1 ranking after China Smash triumph
Beijing, Oct 12 (IANS) China’s Wang Manyu returned to the top of the women’s singles world rankings released by the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) on Monday after successfully defending her title at the 2026 WTT China Smash.
Wang swept Japan’s Hitomi Sato 4-0 in Sunday’s final at Beijing’s Shougang Park, earning 2,000 ranking points to overtake compatriot Sun Yingsha.
Wang first reached world No. 1 in September but subsequently slipped to second after the ranking points from her 2025 China Smash victory expired.
Wang Manyu successfully defended her women’s singles title after defeating Japanese chopper Hitomi Sato 4-0 at the 2026 WTT China Smash on Sunday.
Wang stormed to an 11-2 win in the opening game. With the top seed leading 9-8 in the second, the expedite rule came into effect, under which the server must win the point within 13 strokes or the receiver is awarded the point.
Wang then won two consecutive points to take the second game 11-8 before prevailing 11-3, 11-9 to secure her fourth WTT Grand Smash title.
Wang had a 6-1 head-to-head record against Sato, although their most recent meeting, and their only previous encounter in the WTT Series, saw Sato win 3-0 in the round of 32 at the 2026 WTT United States Smash three months ago.
Sato climbed five places to eighth, while Japan’s Miwa Harimoto remained third, followed by China’s Wang Yidi and Kuai Man, reports Xinhua.
In the men’s singles rankings, Japan’s Sora Matsushima retained the top spot after winning the China Smash title. France’s Felix Lebrun ranked second, followed by Japan’s Tomokazu Harimoto, Sweden’s Truls Moregard and China’s Wang Chuqin.
Under ranking regulations introduced by the ITTF in 2022, a player’s ranking points are calculated primarily from their eight best results over the preceding 12 months.
In the men’s singles final, world No. 1 Sora Matsushima edged Chinese Taipei’s Lin Yun-ju 4-3 in a seven-game thriller.
In doubles, French brothers Alexis and Felix Lebrun topped the men’s rankings, while Japan’s Hina Hayata and Miwa Harimoto led the women’s standings. South Korea’s Lim Jong-hoon and Shin Yu-bin held the top spot in mixed doubles.
–IANS
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